Government Pauses Homeschool Regulation Changes to Review Feedback

The Government has listened to feedback from the homeschool sector and has agreed to pause work on regulation changes, says Education Minster Erica Stanford.

The Ministry of Education and the Education Review Office advised, in late 2025 and early 2026, that regulation was required to ensure children educated at home received adequate levels of education, as a result we moved quickly to introduce legislation to provide appropriate checks.

However, feedback from stakeholders, MPs, coalition partners and those in the education sector show the issue is more complicated than first thought and we will take the time to get this right.

We know most parents who homeschool their children work hard to provide a quality education.

It is reasonable to have some checks that ensure all homeschooled children receive an adequate education.

The Government will consider including homeschool provisions in future legislation.

The Education and Training (System Reform) Amendment Bill was due to have its third reading today but will now be referred back to the Committee of the Whole, to remove amendments relating to homeschooling.